"If it's in the V it's in the tree" - David Miller reacts after his breathtaking 68* guides GT to IPL 2022 final
David Miller produced a breathtaking knock to propel the Gujarat Titans (GT) to the IPL 2022 final. They defeated the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets at Eden Gardens on Tuesday, May 24.
Chasing 189 runs, the Titans were in trouble at one stage, losing two set batters in Matthew Wade and Shubman Gill. However, Miller paired up with Hardik Pandya to put on a match-winning 106-run stand to take the IPL team home.
Talk about Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Shami and all those folks at the @gujarat_titans.
But what a signing David Miller is turning out to be, simply sensational 🔥🔥
#IPL2022
The Proteas batter, in particular, was in superb form and helped GT chase down the total with three balls to spare. He remained unbeaten on 68 runs off 38 deliveries, which included three boundaries and five sixes.
Throwing light on his power-hitting at the end of the match, David Miller said:
"If it's in the V it's in the tree. If it's in the arc it's out of the park."
With 16 needed off the last six balls, the 32-year-old dispatched Prasidh Krishna for three sixes on the trot to finish the game.
The southpaw further added that keeping a calm head and believing in his abilities have yielded results this season, saying:
"In high-pressure situations you tend to go away from the game plan but I'm trying to keep everything together as close as possible to my game plan. There's been a lot of critics saying go wide to me on the off-side (laughs)."
Miller added:
"I stepped across and there were four fielders on the off-side. I knew there was a certain plan but I tried to get across outside the off-stump and he bowled pretty straight. I backed myself and went with it but the rest, I just tried to hit it as hard as possible."
Sorry #RoyalsFamily 🤷♂️
This has been David Miller's best season in the history of IPL. He has scored 449 runs in 15 matches at an average of 64.14 and a strike rate of over 145. He will hope to keep the momentum going as GT aim for a final hurrah on Sunday at their home ground in Ahmedabad.
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"I'm just understanding my game a lot better" - David Miller
The South African, who was discarded by many experts and fans, reignited his career with the Gujarat Titans this year. He has solidified the middle-order with consistent performances.
Miller stressed that having an extended run and clarity over his role has brought the best out of him.
He added:
"I think opportunity firstly - I've been given a good role and a good extensive run in the team. I've felt extremely backed from the outset. My personal game, I think I'm really enjoying my role. I've been playing for many years now and I'm just understanding my game a lot better."
The left-handed batter also asserted that there were a few butterflies in the stomach coming into the new franchise but it settled nicely after the first win.
David Miller concluded:
"That's the joy of IPL - you play for different teams and you meet different players. I knew a few players already but it was a new team. There are a few butterflies here and there as the guys try to know each other but after that first win, everything just aligned and we made it a nice habit."
Gujarat Titans will now have a couple of days' break before they gear up for the mega final on Sunday.